A Woman Holding a Fan 1924

Ito Shinsui made this print of a woman holding a fan; you can just imagine him bent over the block, carefully carving the design to get that flawless line. What was he thinking when he decided to portray a fashionable lady lost in thought? Look at her face – pale, with just a hint of color on her lips and cheeks, and her gaze is cast downwards, absorbed by something we can’t quite see. She holds a fan in front of her face like a mask. The fan itself is like another face. Her dark hair piled high atop her head is so perfectly arranged. It is adorned with a flash of bright blue. Against the plain background, this detail stands out. I'm reminded of other artists who love to paint women, like Manet or Cassatt, but Shinsui brings a very Japanese sensibility to his rendering of a woman. He embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations and meaning over fixed or definitive readings.